Fishing rods typically are long, flexible and susceptible to damage during transport and storage between uses, particularly in circumstances where they must be carried on automobiles where only limited space is available for both equipment and people. Also, as those involved in fishing well know, fishing rods and reels are oftentimes quite expensive which only further increases the importance of providing for their safe, secure and protected storage particularly on automobiles on which they are being transported between uses.
Fishing rods and reels are long and fragile apparatuses that need to be protected from damage and theft during transportation. Due to the length of the rods, to prevent typically the will either need to be supported the entire length of the rod, or secured at two locations, near the front and the aft of the rod. Securing the rod at either end will prevent most events which would cause the rod from bending to the point of damage from occurring.
Additionally, due to the length of a fishing rod, fishing rods are a difficult item to carry in an automobile, particularly when the automobile is filled with other equipment and supplies as well as those persons going fishing. For this reason, a roof mounted carrier is an ideal means to remediate these transportation difficulties.
Many automobiles, particularly SUVs are equipped with roof racks. A roof rack is a set of bars secured to the roof of a motor car. It is used to carry bulky items such as luggage, bicycles, canoes, kayaks, skis, or various carriers and containers. They allow users of an automobile to transport objects on the roof of the vehicle without reducing interior space for occupants,
The roof rack systems are typically comprised of: towers, which bear the weight of everything on your roof, and are installed at the strongest points on a vehicle's roof; and front and aft crossbars that run across the width of the vehicle roof, which you then mount your activity-specific racks to; whether it's ski racks, bike racks, cargo boxes, kayak racks, etc. Crossbars support the weight of all the gear you're adding to the roof and transfer the weight to the towers/feet.
These roof rack systems provide and ideal location to store fishing rods on an automobile for two reasons: 1) the remove the fishing rods from passenger area, providing more space for passengers, and 2) the roof rack is naturally designed with front and aft crossbars, which can be used to secure the fishing rod near the front and aft, protecting the fishing rod from damage.
However, simply lashing fishing rods to an existing roof rack system does not provide the security necessary. Fishing rods and reels are expensive components which would be vulnerable to theft without an additional security device, therefore, additional measures need to be taken to prevent potential thieves from stealing the rods and reels when left unattended on the roof rack.
However, simply lashing fishing rods to an existing roof rack system does not provide the necessary protection for the rods and reels either. During transportation the rods and reels will be subjected to vibrations and jostling which, if not properly secured, could lead to damage as a result of the equipment getting banged against other equipment or against the roof of the car.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,248 teaches a fishing rod holder which can be mounted on a roof rack comprising an elongated tube provided with an elongated slot through which a fishing rod is receivable for protective containment within the tube. A notch at one or both ends of the slot is configured to seat the reel component of one or two fishing rods and restrict longitudinal movement of the rod in the tube. A retainer, such as a lock, is secured to the tube for removably spanning the slot for securing a fishing rod removable in the tube. While this device achieves the goals of securely transporting a fishing rod and reel to a roof rack for transport, the design of the device only allows for a single rod to be stored in the device. Therefore, if it is desired to transport multiple rods at a time, which is often the case, multiple units must be purchased and configured for each rod, which can be costly and time consuming.
Accordingly, there is a need for a single apparatus which is capable of securing multiple fishing rods to the roof of an automobile which is capable of preventing damage to the fishing rods as a result of the typical vibrations and jostling which would occur during the transportation.